Education

About Matthew

And my attitude is that Physics is done successfully by people who understand the
concepts. Therefore good teaching is enabling the student to understand the concepts.

I believe that learning Physics should be fun. There are many wonderful aspects of
the material world and they can lead to interesting puzzles that engage our natural
curiosity. Physics can be mired by confusion and frustration. Our small classes at
the University of New Haven allow us to engage students in exploration and allow the
instructors to listen to them. Listenting is very important as it allows us to filter
out confusions and steer their natural learning.

In my teaching I let the students develop concepts that allow puzzles to be solved.
Therefore my teaching includes introducing evidence and stepping back to let the students have
the solutions dawn on them. "Doing the physics" becomse the same thing as "perceiving
the solution". This is an active student role and is diametrically opposed to being
"told the answer". I want to share with my students the pleasures of finding things
out.

There is a lot of physics that is going to happen as soon as the string is cut. Seeing
it is one thing, but being able to explain it is another.

Communication is a second key to learning. Again our small class sizes are beneficial. When
students vocalise their conclusions they strongly reinforce otherwise tentative ideas.
Letting students express their ideas allows them to develop trust in their own thinking.

Communication also allows students to take ownership of the technical language of
physics which otherwise can be seen by them as exclusive to some alien scientific
community. With trust in their thinking and ownership of the language, the student
is well equipped to use their knowledge in their future careers.